Albert Ojwang's death: Kenya is experiencing a George Floyd moment

The late teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang who died in custody at Central Police Station in Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Albert Ojwang has refused to rest. His spirit roams furiously, indomitably. In his speechless and motionless stature, he has monopolised the national airtime. He rightly refused his county-mate, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, his moment of glory during his inaugural presentation of the national budget in the National Assembly (pun intended). It must be baffling to his killers how his case has defied all attempts to be swept under the impunity carpet.

The Ojwang case has shone a ray of hope in a context that has hitherto been overwhelmed by despair. Extrajudicial killings were increasingly being normalised. Some security personnel have been acting recklessly, buoyed by the entrenched impunity. There is little evidence to show that perpetrators of these heinous acts have been punished. One year later, no justice has been meted out to those who inflicted untold suffering against the Gen Zs following last year’s protests. It is this lack of action that informed the handling of  Ojwang.